'World's saddest elephant' who lived alone in zoo for more than 40 years dies

An animal described as one of the "world's saddest elephants" has passed away in a zoo in Philippines.

Vishwa Ma'ali, the Asian elephant nicknamed "Mali", died on Tuesday, aged 43, after being given to the city of Manila in 1981 by the Sri Lankan government.

She spent 42 years by herself in a concrete pen at Manila Zoo.

A spokesperson for the zoo said an autopsy showed Mali had cancer, and reports say she was rubbing her trunk against a wall in the run up to her death, which is likely a sign that she was in pain.

Manila's mayor, Honey Lacuna, was visibly emotional as she announced the elephant's death in a press conference and said the zoo team never considered moving her elsewhere.

"She might seem alone, but she had us beside her," Ms Lacuna told reporters. "She was the face that greeted everyone who visited Manila Zoo. She is a part of our lives."

Animal welfare charity PETA had long campaigned for Mali to be released and garnered the support of cultural and political leaders, elephant experts and more than 100,000 people from across the world.

"Despite repeated warnings, zoo and city officials ignored Mali’s clearly painful foot problems, which are the leading cause of death in captive elephants, sentencing her to years of suffering," PETA said in a statement following Mali's death.

Celebrities had also got involved and petitioned for Mali's release, including Sir Paul McCartney, Dr. Jane Goodall and Pamela Anderson.

Mr McCartney sent a letter to then-Filipino President Benigno Aquino III in 2013 asking that Mali be transferred to a spacious sanctuary in Thailand.

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